FCT Monarch Urges Kuje Chair-elect To Adopt Water Revenue Reforms

A traditional ruler, Sarkin Ruwan of Kuje Area Council, Mallam Ahmed Saidu, has appealed to the chairman-elect of Kuja Area Council, Hon. Samuel Shekowolo, to implement comprehensive water revenue reforms to generate ₦120 million in the next three years.

Speaking in Abuja on the revenue potential of the council, Saidu said Kuje could realise between N30 million and N40 million annually through proper monitoring and regulation of borehole drillers and sachet water producers operating in the council.

According to him, water-related businesses remain one of the most untapped sources of internally generated revenue in Kuje Area Council.

The traditional ruler alleged that the outgoing chairman of the council, Abdullahi Sulaiman Sabo, failed to act on repeated recommendations to strengthen revenue generation through improved water resources management.

Saidu accused the outgoing administration of intimidation and harassment, claiming that political thugs were used against him to stop his involvement in initiatives which later became one of the council’s major revenue sources.

He recalled that similar reforms introduced between 2012 and 2014 reportedly increased revenue collections from less than N105,000 to several millions of naira. He maintained that borehole operators and sachet water producers still offer huge revenue opportunities if properly regulated.

According to Saidu, integrating operators into the official revenue framework would improve accountability while ensuring that more funds are paid directly into government accounts.

The Sarkin Ruwan also referenced previous discussions involving Japanese partner organisations and the management of the FCT Water Board. He said the organisations identified annual losses estimated at about ₦2.5 billion across the six area councils of the FCT due to non-revenue water, leakages and weak monitoring systems.

He noted that the partners consistently advised area councils to strengthen metering systems, improve monitoring mechanisms and conduct regular water balance audits to reduce wastage and revenue losses.

He commended the minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, for the ongoing infrastructural development efforts in Abuja and appealed to him to pay attention to water resources management and revenue generation in the area councils.